The Love Story of Ryu and Yi
by KaleidoscopeKreation
Summary: 'Katara. You must remember that Fire Prince Ryu was a person, a young man, just as our Princess Yi was a young woman. The feelings they shared were strong enough to break down the barriers between them.' Kanna tells Katara an old Southern story.


**The Love Story of Yi and Ryu**

**~O~**

'Gran-Gran, will you tell me a story?'

Kanna looked down to see her littlest grandchild, Katara, standing in the doorway to her room, looking across at her with wide blue eyes.

Kanna deliberated for a moment, and then laid aside her whale-bone needle and seal sinew. Patching her snow-boots could wait. Keeping her grandchildren entertained in these difficult times was far more important.

'I don't see why not,' she said, reaching down and lifting Katara onto her lap. She settled back with a creak and a huff, and Katara wriggled into place, burying her small hands in Kanna's fur hood.

'Where's your brother?' Kanna asked, looking about.

Katara 'hmphed'. 'He went outside to practise with his boomerang. He wouldn't let me join in. He said he might hit me by accident, and I should go in and talk to you instead.'

'He should come in soon. It's getting dark out there.'

Katara's eyebrows creased up in the middle. 'Will he be safe?' she asked, anxiously. Kanna sighed. Katara had been worrying so much more lately. So much more than she should have to.

'He'll be fine, child,' Kanna said, giving a reassuring smile. 'I'll just tell you your story, and then we'll fetch him in and have supper.' She pulled Katara closer to her, and smoothed the hair back from her face, trying to make the girl look younger, make that crease between her eyebrows disappear. 'So. What sort of story would you like to hear?'

'A happy one,' Katara said, immediately, and then added, 'but one that you haven't told me before. Something different.'

'How about a love story?' Kanna suggested. Katara nodded so hard that the two loops of hair on her forehead bounced.

'Yes! But not too mushy.'

Kanna chuckled. 'Alright.' She settled back, sifting through her memories. A story, a happy story, a love story.

After a few moments, she smiled. She had one.

'This story was told to me by a very old lady of our tribe. She was tiny and white-haired, as wrinkled as a sea prune, but she had beautiful, bright blue eyes and a laugh like powder-snow in the sunlight. I first heard her telling this tale when I was a young woman; it was a favourite among the children and adults alike. But after she passed on, people didn't have the heart to keep telling it.'

Katara nodded, her eyes trained on Kanna's face.

'This story takes us back to the old times – thousands of years ago, when the Southern Water tribe was newly formed. Our tribe was just a few decades old, but people were already taking root here. We were no longer a group of travellers: we were the beginnings of a civilisation. And as a mark of this, the Fire Nation decided to pay us a visit.'

Katara's face darkened. 'A raid?'

'No, no. This was long before the war. The Fire Nation's visit was one of friendship and diplomacy, to recognize the tribe as worthy of an established nation's notice. But it was also a mission, a calculation of our strengths, and our weaknesses. The Fire Nation was sizing up the tribe, you see. They had to know: were we potential allies, or a potential threat? Or nothing at all?

'Well, the leader of this mission was a fine man, the youngest son of the Fire Lord himself - his name was Prince Ryu. He was clever, astute and well-spoken; he was also very skilled in the art of fire-bending, second only to his older brothers and his father, the Fire Lord. However, he was also hot-blooded and impulsive, and perhaps a little conceited. His life of ease and luxury in the Fire Courts had made him complacent.

'When Prince Ryu and his men arrived at the Southern Settlement, they were given a warm but wary welcome. They were received into the Chief's house with great ceremony, and a feast was held in their honour, with every delicacy that the Water Tribe could offer laid before them. The Prince ate nearly all his sea prune stew, and drank his seal tea with only the slightest of winces. Around him, his soldiers sniggered, or looked sullenly out at cold, snowy night, dreaming longingly of the languid heat of their home nation.

'Then, after the meal was over, the Chief of the tribe exchanged a nod with his wife, and she stood and addressed the company. She thanked Prince Ryu and his men for journeying to visit their new tribe, and she introduced the entertainment of the evening: a group of young Waterbenders would perform to them.

'From among the seated diners, several young men and women got to their feet and moved to the head of the table. Ryu and his men looked at one another with interest. They had heard that in the South Pole, women were able to train, not just as healers, but as active Waterbenders... But none of them had actually seen a woman bend water before. They turned to face the front of the hall, eager for the show to begin.

'And what a show it was! The young benders brought the ice and water around them to life. They pushed and pulled it between them in a flawless dance, sometimes in droplets, sometimes in shards – sometimes as milky, hissing steam. But never a drop went to waste, and not once did a person miss a beat. And as they moved the water, they sang with it, a wordless song of long-held notes and complex harmonies, flowing to the listener's ears like a smooth ocean current.

'As Ryu leant forward, entranced, his eyes fell on one girl in particular. She stood at the centre of the group, and Ryu could tell that out of all of them, she was by far the best. Her silver-grey eyes were calm and glowing as the moon; her shining, braided black hair swung about her as she moved.

'When they were finished, she joined hands with her fellow benders and bowed. Everybody in the hall cheered and clapped themselves hoarse... But none clapped as hard as Prince Ryu.

"I thank everybody seated here, for giving us such a kind and enthusiastic reception,' she said, with a voice as clear and bright as sunlight, "and in particular, I thank the Prince Ryu and his men, for honouring us with their presence tonight."

Then she smiled at him, and Prince Ryu felt his heart beat faster as their eyes met.

"I hope that each one of you enjoys your time here, and, in particular, the feast which my father has laid for us tonight."

'Her father? Prince Ryu's soul sang within him. She was the daughter of the Chief! A princess! And that meant that maybe... but he made himself wait until her speech had ended, as people began to turn to their neighbours and talk, before he got to his feet and moved towards her, heedless of his guards' eyes upon him.

He sat down beside the beautiful waterbender and her father and cleared his throat. The two of them turned towards them, and he flashed them a dazzling smile.

'Chief Kyrui, I must compliment your daughter on her amazing performance,' he said, bowing his head slightly. 'I have never seen anything like it!'

The Chief nodded. 'Yi is an exceedingly talented waterbender – perhaps the best in the South Pole. But she can tell you about her skills herself.'

The Princess Yi looked straight into Ryu's eyes. 'My father is very kind,' she said, smiling, 'but I know that I still have much to learn about the ways of bending.'

Ryu laughed. 'I can hardly believe that! Why, I'll wager that you could bend water out of one of these dried-up sea prunes if you put your mind to it!'

The Chief's face darkened slightly at the slight to his feast, but Yi merely grinned to herself, picked up a bowl from the table, and proceeded to do exactly that. Ryu's eyes widened – he would never have thought that so much water could come out of the shrivelled black thing.

'You see, Prince Ryu, sea prunes aren't all that dry, are they?' she laughed, holding the sphere of prune-water between them.

Ryu bowed his head, humbled. 'I suppose not, Princess Yi.'

During their time here, neither the Prince nor his men complained about the food again.

'During all his travels in the South Pole, Prince Ryu scarcely left Yi's side. She became his guide as they toured the settlement, introducing him to everyone of note in the town and telling him everything he might need – or want – to know. And so, as he learnt about the ways of the Southern Water Tribe, Ryu also learnt about Yi's love for her home and her people.

She took him to the very top of the watch-tower, and they looked out over the great expanse glittering tundra, their eyes streaming in the cold wind. She gave him fish, and told him how to feed it to an otter-penguin, and then they sat and watched as children of the tribe sledded past them down icy hills of snow. They sat, wrapped in furs, on an ice-floe of Yi's own creation, and she told him the water-tribe legends of the moon and the ocean, her grey eyes shining like moons themselves.

It was there that the two of them shared their first kiss.'

Kanna looked down at Katara as she sat upright in her lap, frowning.

'But Gran-Gran! He was _Fire Nation_!'

'Yes, he was. You must remember, Katara, that at this time, their nations were not at war. And, even more importantly, you must remember that Ryu was a person, a young man, just as Princess Yi was a young woman. The feelings they shared were strong enough to break down the barriers between them.'

Katara nodded, but still looked troubled – and Kanna could understand why. She held Katara tighter and took a deep breath, picking up the thread of her speech, and starting again to weave into the story.

'The next morning, Ryu got up early and wrote a long, long letter to his parents. He tied it to the harness of his sleek black hawk, and sent the creature flying up and away, due North, back to the Fire Nation.

He had written to ask if he might seek Princess Yi's hand in marriage, and bring her back to the Fire Nation as his wife. The Southern Water tribe, he thought, was a fast-growing, promising civilisation, and well worth making an official alliance with. He did not tell his parents the whole truth, though – that he had fallen deeply in love with Princess Yi, and that would have said or done anything in order to gain her hand in marriage. He knew that this would only make them doubt his judgement, and withdraw their blessing of the union.

'When, a few days later, the reply came, Prince Ryu almost tore open the scroll. His heart leapt as he scanned the page: his parents gave their blessing, and suggested that he bring Yi back with him when he returned home at the end of the month.

Ryu could barely contain his joy, and he hastily let go of the paper as a few sparks danced from his fingertips. He put on his suit of royal Fire Nation armour, and all but sprinted to the Chief's hall.

"Let me by. I require an immediate audience with the Chief!" he said impatiently, dodging past the Waterbender on guard.

"He is eating breakfast with his family," she protested.

"All the better! I wish to speak to the whole family," Ryu called, over his shoulder. He skidded through the entrance hall, and then, composing himself, pulled back the sealskin flap and entered the dining room.

He sank into a bow before the astonished family, and then straightened up as the Chieftain cleared his throat.

"Good morning, Prince Ryu. Would you care to explain why you have honoured us with your presence at this time in the morning?"

Prince Ryu knelt before the Chief, and proceeded, in most eloquent language, to ask humbly for Princess Yi's hand in marriage, and began to describe in great detail the advantages which an alliance between their two nations might bring to the Southern Water Tribe: mutual support, increased trade, and defence in the event of a war...

Then the Chief held up a hand, and Prince Ryu stuttered to a halt.

"Your Highness, I hope that you appreciate that this is all very sudden,' the Chief said sternly, 'both for me, and, more importantly, for my daughter. Before you say another word about this proposed alliance, I demand that you give her a chance to say what she thinks."

"Most gladly," said Ryu, turning to where Yi sat, blushing scarlet, in her seat. "Dear Yi – what do you say to this?"

She sat quietly, thinking for a moment. Then she met his burning golden eyes with the same steady gaze that she always had.

"If I marry you," she asked, "will I have to return with you to the Fire Nation, and leave the South Pole?"

Ryu was surprised. He had not expected this to be her first question. "Well, yes. That is, in general, how – "

"In that case," she interrupted him, gently, "I'm afraid that I can't accept, Ryu. Were you to stay here, I would have married you before sundown. But my place is here at the South Pole with my tribe. I won't leave."

Suddenly, Ryu was angry. Didn't she see the great honour, the glory of the life that lay before her? To leave this icy village and live a life of warmth and luxury? He glared up at her, his eyes glittering with rage.

"I miss my home, too, Yi," he said, his voice kept carefully below a shout. "But not once have I let that sway my opinions of this place, or of you. You know that this alliance is what's best for your people. And if we are to be married, you must return with me to the Fire Nation."

"My tribe needs me," she said, her eyes suddenly hard and cold. "I'm not going to leave."

"I thought that you loved me."

"I thought that you loved _me_!"

Both of them were on their feet and shouting. The ice at Ryu's feet started to melt. The seal tea beside Yi's hand was frozen solid. They glared at each other, hot temper against cold rage.

"How shall we settle this, then?" Yi said, very quietly.

"_Back home_," Ryu said, enunciating his words, "We have a very good method of solving disputes. We call it Agni Kai: a duel of Fire."

"So you propose that we settle _this_ with a duel?" Yi said, her fingers clenching into fists.

"Sometimes, it's the only way."

"It sounds perfectly barbaric," Yi said primly.

"What – are you afraid you'll lose?"

There was a cracking noise as the icy tea burst from its cup. "If you really wish to duel with me, I will gladly accept."

Ryu smiled fiercely. "Then I challenge you to an Agni Kai today at sunset."

"Sunset? You'll be at a disadvantage."

"But it's the quarter moon. Your bending is weak at this time of month, you told me."

Yi glared, but nodded.

Ryu got to his feet. "I will see you there. For now, I bid you and your family a good day." He bowed deeply to the family one more time, and then turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving the seal-skin door-hang slightly singed where he had touched it.

When the two lovers met at sundown for their duel, almost the whole tribe gathered outside the village to watch. They stood on a raised block of pack-snow which glittered in the dying light, each of them motionless, eyes fixed on the other. The tribe's master of water, an old woman named Roka, stood quietly to the side, her silver hair reflecting red in the sunlight. She had insisted on being there to watch fair play, despite Ryu and Yi's solemn oaths to win justly, or not at all.

"All is fair in love and war," she had said, her eyes narrowed,"and this is a little bit of both."

A chill wind blew across the icy plane, and the crowd fell silent, sensing that the fight was about to start. For a moment, the world stood still. Nothing moved, no-one spoke – all eyes were riveted on the Prince and Princess as they readied themselves for the fight.

Finally, Roka shattered the silence with a single word. "Begin!"

As fast as lightning, Ryu moved. He darted forward, a bright burst of flame pouring from his hands, hot enough to melt a block of ice the size of you. Yi had been standing motionless as Ryu made his move, but as the fire shot towards her, she came to life. She easily dodged the Prince's fire, her movements as quick and lithe as a hunting seal-whale. Then she planted her feet firmly to the snow and drew up her own weapons: dozens of tiny shards of ice, sharp enough to dent even Ryu's armour.

But Ryu was not so easily beaten. He drew a sphere of flame up around himself, and the lethal spears turned into a light rain, pattering harmlessly to the ground about him. He drew in his breath and blew it out again as fire, roaring through the air to where Yi stood, her hands still raised from her last attack. But she drew up a sheet of ice just in time, and the flames were forced to change direction, curling harmlessly up and along her glassy shield.

Thick clouds of steam began to curl around the duellists' feet, as Yi conjured up ice, again and again, only for Ryu to melt it clean away. And with every attack, Ryu moved closer, until the two of them were only two arms' lengths apart.

Snapping his fingers, Ryu created himself a thin, intense coil of flame, a ribbon of light and heat which danced and flickered around Yi's form. She was forced to twist and turn ever faster to avoid him, and to the watchers, it seemed that the tides were turning in the Prince's favour. The soldiers clenched their fists and grinned behind their helmets. Yi's father stood as motionless as an ice statue, watching the fight with tense concentration.

"You... can only... avoid me for so long, Princess," Ryu hissed, his breathing hard as he ducked and weaved around his opponent.

"And you can only fight me for so long – _Prince,"_ Yi shot back, her cheeks flushed red with exertion.

"Then the question is: which will last longer, your defence or my attack?"

"We'll see," Yi snarled. Then, with a swift arc of her arms, she drew up a fat sphere of water, plopped it unceremoniously on top of the Prince's head, and held it there.

He staggered backwards, flailing his arms, pearly bubbles of air floating to the surface of the sphere as he gave a silent yell of shock. One of his guards started forward with a shout: "she's drowning him!"

But Prince Ryu recovered quickly. The water around his head steamed and vanished with a great hiss, leaving him damp and angry, but otherwise unharmed. He snapped his fingers, called forth his fiery weapon once more, and leapt forward to engage Yi once more.

The snow was beginning to turn to slush around their feet, and Roka, the Waterbender, called a halt. With a wave of her hands, the snow returned to its former, powdery self – there was no longer any risk of Ryu slipping and falling.

Yi seemed especially glad of the break, and bent over, her hands on her knees, panting a little. It was clear that her energy was waning. But when she looked up, though her face was sweaty and tired, the same determination shone in her grey eyes.

Ryu looked at her in pity. Though determined that he should triumph, his heart ached to see his love at the last of her strength. He didn't want her to hurt herself in a fight that she couldn't win.

"Begin!" Roka called again, but neither Ryu nor Yi moved. Then, very reluctantly, Ryu stepped forward, sending a punch of fire through the air towards Yi, which she barely countered with a clumsy slab of ice. Ryu had worn her down to the very last of her strength. It seemed that his victory was only moments away.

"Submit now," Ryu entreated her, "before you are hurt. There is no dishonour in that. Even a great waterbender has limits."

Yi dodged again, but his fire charred her sleeve as it went by, leaving an ugly black scorch on the blue cloth. After a few seconds, she seemed to muster enough breath to reply. "Yes. Just like that sea-prune."

Ryu almost missed a beat. "sea-prune?" he gave a breathless chuckle. "You're trying to distract me."

She backed away from him, almost to the edge of the snowy platform. "You thought that that prune had given all it had. But it had water locked inside it that was invisible to see." She stopped at the very edge, her face contorted with effort. "It wasn't quite finished yet. And neither – am – _I!_"

She threw up a whirl of powdery snow in his face. He yelled and stepped backwards, melting it away with a burst of fire... but when he could see again, his opponent was no longer in front of him. Yi had vanished.

Ryu stood there in silence, baffled, looking about him in utter confusion. He could see nothing but the ice in front of him, and hear nothing except the murmuring of the crowd, and the chill wind in his ears. He was certain that she hadn't fled. His Yi would do nothing so shameful. But... where was she?

Then one of his guards shouted, suddenly and urgently. "She's gone under the ice, your Highness!"

The platform was creaking below his feet. It was changing from solid snow and ice, into...

Cold water. Before Prince Ryu could move an inch, he was plunged up to the neck in cold water.

He gave a blood-curdling yell of shock as the water changed straight back into ice, pinning his arms to his sides and freezing him firmly in place. He was held fact, frozen into the very ground on which they duelled. He couldn't move, he could hardly breathe, and he _certainly _couldn't bend. He had never been so cold in his life... He felt as though his chi, his very essence, was being sucked out of him into the endless cold of the South Pole."

'She cheated!' Katara exclaimed, wriggling on Kanna's lap. 'She couldn't just use the ice like that!' She folded her arms and glared. 'It wasn't fair on Ryu.'

Kanna shook her head. 'Yi didn't cheat. She merely used what power she had to the best of her ability. She was a very powerful waterbender, and she knew that the only way that she would be able to triumph over Ryu was by using her bending – and her brains – to the utmost.'

Katara sat back, thinking for a moment. Kanna could almost see the cogs in her small head turning as she thought about what her Grandmother had said, squaring the story with her conscience. Then she nodded to herself, and turned back to Kanna, her face clear and curious. 'So then what happened?'

'Well, after a few moments of shock, Ryu noticed the snow in front of him beginning to melt, and then turn to liquid entirely. Yi leapt up out of the ice like a penguin, and froze the ice again before she hit the ground. She was soaked through and shivering, but her face was alive with triumph.

"W-w-w-ell?" she said, kneeling down before Ryu on the ice. She looked down at him, her blue lips half-smiling, her dark, damp hair clinging to her face. Their eyes met, and for a moment, they almost forgot the cold. All that really mattered to them was the fire and the ice, silver and gold, the sun and the moon of one another.

Ryu felt his lips curling into a smile.

"Well fought, Princess Yi," he said warmly, trying to suppress a shiver of his own. "You win."

Her face creased into a huge smile, and beyond the stage, in the quickly gathering dusk, her tribespeople gave a thunderous cheer of triumph. Then she pursed her lips in concentration, and the water around Ryu turned warm, billowing clouds of steam into the chilly air. The feeling of crushing coldness began to seep away, and, but for the lingering numbness in his extremities, Ryu felt almost comfortable.

Next, Yi began to siphon the water off herself, pausing while she did so to wave at the cheering crowd. Many people, seeing that the fight was over, began to disperse, talking excitedly as they made their way back to the village.

When he felt that his chi had recovered enough for him to bend again, Ryu pulled himself out of the warm water, heating himself up until the water began to steam from his clothes. When they were both dry, they stood up. Ryu held out his hand to Yi, and smiled when she took it. Looking around, he noticed that everybody seemed to have disappeared – even his guards.

Yi held their clasped hands up to the dying light, one brown, the other ivory pale. "Our skin has wrinkled,' she commented, 'just like a sea-prune's."

Ryu scowled. "If you mention sea-prunes again, I'll heat my skin up until it scorches through your mittens."

Yi laughed. "I take it that stewed prunes will be absent from our wedding banquet, then? What a shame. They _are _my father's favourite."

"Hmph. Well. Maybe one small dish. At the far end of the table," Ryu said, grudgingly.

Yi smiled and allowed Prince Ryu to help her down from their duelling ground. As they began their walk back towards the village, he put an arm about her shoulders, and she moved close beside him.

"You seem warm – even warmer than usual," she commented.

Ryu nodded. "I'm still chilled from my defeat. I'm using my chi to get as warm as I can."

Yi sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryu."

"Whatever for?"

"I won using ruthless means. Had you not been a FIrebender, that ice could have frozen you to death."

Ryu shook his head. "We fought a battle of bending, and you were the victor. It was a fair fight. You have earned all my respect. I feel honoured to have fought such a powerful adversary."

Yi stopped in her tracks, and looked up at him. "Had you won, I would have come with you to the Fire Nation, willingly," she said. "Perhaps it shouldn't, but... it matters more to be with you, my love, than to stay with my tribe."

"I feel the same way," Ryu said. He held Yi's hands in his, and looked down into her face. "My home is where my heart belongs, and, Princess, my heart belongs to you."

Yi's eyes shone. "I love you," she said, quietly. "And I will love you, forever."

As they leant forward and kissed one another, the first few bright stars were coming to life in the evening sky.

Then they returned to the village, and together, they lived happily ever after.'

Kanna looked down, and saw with satisfaction that Katara's eyes were shining like stars. 'You can't just end the story there, Gran-Gran!' she protested, clutching at Kanna's shoulders. 'What did Prince Ryu's parents say? What was their wedding like? How many children did they have?'

'Alright, calm yourself, child!' Kanna thought for a moment. 'Ryu's parents were a little angry, but in the end, after seeing the love between the happy couple, they relented... Ryu and Yi were married in the Fire Nation, festooned with lanterns and red silk and gold... and they honeymooned there, too, during the warm summer. And they had - they had four fine children, three boys and a little girl.

'Though none of their descendants were Firebenders, a part of the Fire Prince's legacy has been passed through the generations of our tribe. Like Ryu, the Southern Water Tribe is honourable and proud. We have a spark within our souls that no hardship can truly destroy.' Kanna wrapped her arms around Katara. 'Remember that, my dear. You are strong, and your tribe is strong. Prince Ryu's fire is still burning inside you.'

Katara let out her breath in a long sigh, burying her face in Kanna's chest. But then she pulled away, and when she looked up again, Kanna saw with a pang of grief that her eyes were shining brighter still - shining with tears.

'I'm going to go and get Sokka in,' she blurted, sliding quickly off Kanna's lap. 'It's probably almost dark outside.' She turned away from Kanna, her long braid whipping over her shoulder as she ran around the corner and out of sight.

'Katara –'

But the little girl was gone.

Kanna sat back in her chair for a moment, closing her eyes. In her mind, she reached out to Katara, longing to pull her into her arms and wipe away her tears, to be a substitute to the mother that she had lost far, far too soon.

Katara had already aged too much in these last few months. Her days were no longer spent playing and penguin-sledding – instead, they were filled with chores and worrying as she desperately tried to fill the gaping hole that Kya had left behind. There was weariness and anger in her that had never been there before, and although Kanna tried her best, she knew that no amount of storytelling was going to make things better. The world had already been cruel to Katara in ways that she would never forget.

But, while she might not be able to make everything better for her grand-children, but she would do what she could. She would support them, and there father, and help them find their way in their damaged, darkened new world. She would be there for them, even if she couldn't move as fast as Kya, and her hands were gnarled and rough rather than soft and gentle. She would bandage Sokka's knee when he feel over playing Soldier, and tell Katara heart-warming stories when she asked for them. As a mother and a grand-mother, it was the least that she could do.

Kanna opened her eyes, and got creakily to her feet. She moved slowly over to the stove, where a pot of stewed sea-prunes sat bubbling on a low heat. She took the lid off and gave it a stir, watching the steam billow towards the doorway through which Katara had left. If there was one thing that would bring Katara and Sokka inside, it was the smell of sea-prunes when they were hungry.

**~O~**

_Years later, when Kanna watches Katara showing her friends around their village, she sees Princess Yi in her mind's eye. When the young Fire-Lord sneezes in the cold and lets himself be dragged off to the penguin-seal colony, she wonders whether Katara is thinking of Prince Ryu too. _

_It's common knowledge, now, that Kanna herself wasn't originally from the South Pole. Katara knows about her Grandmother's rebellion from the frigid tradition from the North. But she doesn't know about how the old Southern stories had entranced Kanna when she first arrived. The hope of those tales, their promise of happiness and freedom, made everything she had been through worthwhile. She knew that the long, bitter journey hadn't been for nothing. The guilt when she thought of those that she left behind became bearable. _

_And now, like her, Katara is finally at peace – not only with the Fire Nation, but within herself, too. Kanna knows that she has the Avatar Aang and Zuko to thank for this; she accepts that her role in her grand-daughter's life is comparatively small. _

_But Kanna can't help but hope that Katara's healing might have started on that cold evening, seven years ago, when she climbed onto her Gran-Gran's lap and asked for a story._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So that was it - my first ever Avatar fic. I suppose that you could say that I started to write this as something of a Zutara substitute for myself... After seeing that the show hadn't worked the relationship out in the way that I had hoped, I decided to retell a story, similar to theirs, but in a different era altogether. However, by the time I had finished this fic, it had evolved into something altogether different - the pairing on which it was originally based was no longer a large part of it. The importance of Kanna and Katara's relationship, and the strength of Southern Water Tribe women through the ages, became a far more dominant theme. **

**But anyway. Enough rambling. I hope that you have enjoyed this fic, regardless of your preferred ships... I certainly enjoyed writing it. And please, do let me what you thought!**

**_Essence of Gold_**


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